Raiders practice report: TEs play a featured role

LENGTH: 2 ½ hours. The Raiders and Lions held the second of two joint practices in Napa. The teams play their preseason opener Friday night at the Coliseum.

INJURY REPORT: S Obi Melifonwu missed a second consecutive practice. Coach Jon Gruden said Melifonwu had a “flare-up” of a lower-body injury and that: “We’re still looking into that.” WR Seth Roberts missed practice because he was “sore” and is “hopefully available in the next day or so,” Gruden said.

GETTING CHIPPY: The Raiders and Lions had their first and only scuffle of the two days in 9-on-7 work Wednesday. Lions DE Anthony Zettel appeared to take exception to Raiders OL Jon Feliciano and the two ended up on the ground having to be separated by teammates. Players ran in from an adjoining field as well but order was quickly restored.

That aside, Gruden sounded pleased with how the joint practice sessions were conducted.

Oakland Raiders tight end Derek Carrier carries the ball stepping through a drill as tight end Jared Cook (87) and wide receiver Marcell Ateman (88) look on during NFL football practice Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2018, in Napa, Calif. Both the Oakland Raiders and the Detroit Lions held a joint practice before their upcoming preseason game on Friday. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg) less

Oakland Raiders tight end Derek Carrier carries the ball stepping through a drill as tight end Jared Cook (87) and wide receiver Marcell Ateman (88) look on during NFL football practice Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2018, in Napa, Calif. Both the Oakland Raiders and the Detroit Lions held a joint practice before their upcoming preseason game on Friday. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg) less

“Other than the one incident earlier I thought the teams did a great job showcasing professionalism and etiquette,” Gruden said. “I think we got a lot more out of these two days than we ever could have had we not done this. But I’d like to compliment our players certainly and coaches, and their players and coaches, for working under some tough situations.”

Gruden said “a lot of (players) got nicked up” in practice but didn’t provide official updates.

TOUGH COVER: Along with returning a pass-catching tight end in Jared Cook and re-signing run-blocking tight end Lee Smith this offseason, the Raiders went out and signed TE Derek Carrier in free agency.

It didn’t scream of a high-impact signing. Carrier, 27, has 36 career catches for 327 yards and a touchdown. He played last season with the Rams, catching eight passes for 71 yards.

But Carrier has been active in camp with the Raiders experimenting with a lot of multiple tight end sets, and had a good day Wednesday. Gruden is all about being versatile, and it sounds as though keeping three tight ends is likely due to the options it gives the Raiders’ offense.

“We wanted to feature the tight ends the last couple days,” Gruden said. “Honestly, we think that Jared Cook is a rare receiving tight end. And we think Carrier is interesting. I think he’s been under the radar. He played wide receiver in college. We acquired him from the Rams. We think he’s an intriguing mismatch problem for some teams.

“We want to look at different personnel groups. Like I said when I got here, we might go back to 1978 and be a two-back, fullback-oriented team, or we might not. We might use two tight ends, we might use three, and we might use one.

“So we have a lot of different personnel groupings and packages, just like every team I know of in this league. And the best group to help us win that particular day is the guys we’re going to feature. But we did feature the tight ends the last two days.”

BIG HIT: The first time players from the Lions and Raiders came together in Tuesday’s practice was for a run-centered 9-on-7 drill. On the first play by the Raiders’ offense, fullback Keith Smith put a loud block on linebacker Jarrad Davis to clear a path for running back Marshawn Lynch. Smith was asked about the hit Wednesday.

“That’s kind of the tempo-setter is team run,” Smith said. “It’s really bone on bone, no receivers, DBs or whatnot. It’s just the guys going at it. I feel like that’s what we did is we started that period off setting the tone.”

While Smith clearly made first contact with Davis, he said Lynch quickly “came and just cleared everything out.” He agreed it was a glimpse of what the Raiders hope their running game could look like this season.

“You know, his nickname is ‘Beast Mode’ for a reason,” Smith said. “I think he’s the perfect back for us in what Gruden’s trying to do. It’s going to be fun blocking for him.”

As a fullback, Smith is used to being an unsung player. He still grinned saying Lynch had claimed responsibility for the loud contact on the play.

“He tried to take credit for it,” Smith said. “But I was like, ‘Naw, you watch the film. I hit him first.’”

THIS AND THAT: RG Gabe Jackson was back with the first-team offense in team drills. Jackson returned to practice Tuesday but was held out of most full-speed drills … QB Connor Cook had a strong day, connecting twice for large gains to WR Martavis Bryant and finding WR Griff Whalen multiple times … LBs Tahir Whitehead and Derrick Johnson both had pass break-ups against Matt Stafford in team drills, though Johnson’s drew a penalty flag that the Raiders’ sideline was not happy about … DE Arden Key was not on the field for the later part of practice … The teams ended practice meeting in the middle of the field and shaking hands.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: Gruden on the atmosphere he expects at Friday night’s preseason opener at the Coliseum: “They’re all the same to me and Raider fans. You’ve got to understand that. Preseason games, postseason games, pick-up games - in Oakland, it’s all the same.”